This workshop offers participants an original approach to reworked leather rebuses, transformed into strips, as the raw material for their creations. Trainees will create durable braids, learning to select and adapt each technique according to the material's characteristics and the desired effect. They will develop a creative sensibility that will allow them to fully explore the possibilities offered by these leather rebuses and design original and contemporary surfaces. Through the combined acquisition of technical skills and a structured creative vision, each participant will be able to produce polished, coherent, and technically sound pieces.

Upon completion of the training, the trainee will be able to:

• Recognize the potential of leather as a material for experimentation
• Reproduce the fundamental techniques of braiding, knotting, and weaving leather while respecting technical constraints
• Analyze and choose an appropriate technique based on the type of leather being worked
• Independently create braided leather surfaces
• Develop personal creative proposals by combining the techniques learned

This five-day training course offers a progressive and structured immersion in the techniques of braiding, knotting, and weaving leather. It allows participants to gain a nuanced understanding of how leather strips behave and to explore the creative potential of this material. Through the manipulation of different types of strips—flat, bonded, or doubled—trainers discover how the thickness, tanning, preparation, and suppleness of the leather influence the techniques used and determine the final result.

Participants will learn to adjust tension, rhythm, and regularity, to orient the strips according to the desired effect, and to apply the necessary finishes to ensure aesthetic and structural coherence. Each step allows them to understand the close link between technical mastery and creative expression, and to approach braiding as a true language of materials.
Through the creation of various samples, each participant will develop a solid methodology and a set of practical tools to imagine and design contemporary, innovative leather surfaces adapted to their future projects.

Schedule

Day 1

Morning

• Introduction and Fundamentals
• Discovering the different types of straps, exploring the properties of leather, and initial hands-on experience

Afternoon

• Learning essential knots and creating a first practical sample

Day 2

Morning

• Introduction to braiding
• Basic and intermediate techniques for 3- to 5-strand braids

Afternoon

• Exploring complex braids, playing with materials, and creating a personalized sample

Day 3

Morning

• • Weaving Basics
  • Introduction to basic weaving and tension management to ensure regularity and consistency

Afternoon

• • • Advanced weaving.
    • Creating chevron, satin, and tweed patterns, with the production of a structured sample.

Day 4

Morning

• • • • Experimental surfaces.
      • Creative approach with layering and combining the techniques studied.

Afternoon

• • • • • Individual guidance to further develop and personalize creations.

Day 5

Morning

• • • • • • Finishing samples and reflecting on the application of the techniques.

Afternoon

• • • • • • • Group presentation of completed work.
            • Analysis of the techniques used, strengths and areas for improvement, then conclusion
            • Workshop cleanup

• Classroom, multipurpose room, workshops with professional equipment
• Materials provided
• Individual and collaborative work
• Workshop sessions
• Active participation and experimentation by participants are encouraged

• Group and individualized monitoring of work, regular check-ins
• Self-assessment of technical skills
• Group presentation
• Attendance sheet for each half-day
• Certificate of completion issued by Campus MaNa